The anatomy of melancholy : what it is, with all the kinds, causes, symptons, prognostics, and several cures of it : in three partitions with their several sections, members, and subsections, philosophically, medically, historically opened and cut up / by Democritus Junior.

  • Burton, Robert, 1577-1640.
Date:
1868
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The anatomy of melancholy : what it is, with all the kinds, causes, symptons, prognostics, and several cures of it : in three partitions with their several sections, members, and subsections, philosophically, medically, historically opened and cut up / by Democritus Junior. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    3tj< it was Democritus his fortune, Idem adniirationi et ' irrisioni halitus. 'Twas Seneca's fate, that superintendent of wit, learning, judgment, '^ ad stuporem doctus, the best of Greek and Latin writers, in Plutarch's opinion; that renowned correc- tor of vice, as ^Fabius terms him, and painfu^ omniscious philosopher, that writ so excellently and admirably well, could not please all parties, or escape censure. Hijw is he vilified by ^^ Caligula, Agellius, Fabius, and Lispsius himself, his chief prupugner ? In eo pleraque pernitiosa, saith the same Fabius, many childish tracts axiii sentences he hath, sermo illaborafus, too negligent often and remiss, as Agellius observes, oratio vulgaris et protrita, dicaces et ineptc^, scntenticE^ eruditio plehcia, an homely shallow writer as he is. In partibus spinas etfastidia hahct, saith ^Lip- sius ; and, as in all his other works, so especially in his epistles, alice in argutiis et ineptiis occupantur, intricatus alicubi, et parum compositus, sine copid rcrum, hoc fecit, he jumbles up many things together immethodically, after the Stoics' fashion, parum ordinavit, multa accumulavitf Etc. If Seneca be thus lashed, and many famous men that I could name, what shall I expect ? How shall I that am vix umbra tanti philosophic hope to please ? No man so absolute (^ Erasmus holds) to satisfy all, except antiquity, prescription, &c., set a bar. But as I have proved in Seneca, this will not always take place, how shall I evade ? 'Tis the common doom of all writers, I must (I say) abide it; I seek not applause; ^''JVbn ego ventoscz venor suffragia plsb'ts ;• again, nan sum adeo informis, I would not be ^ vilified. SB laudatus abunde, Non fastiJitus si tibi, lector, ero. I fear good men's censures, and to their favourable acceptance I submit my labours, ^ et linguas mancipiorum Conteinno. As the barking of a dog, I securely contemn those malicious and scurrile obloquies, flouts, calumnies of railers and detractors ; I scorn the rest. What therefore I have said, pro tenuitate med, I have said. One or two things yet I was desirous to have amended if I could, concerning the manner of handling this my subject, for which I must apologise, deprecari, and upon better advice give the friendly re?der notice : it was not mine intent to prosti- tute my muse in English, or to divulge s-ecreta Minervcz, but to have exposed this more contract in Latin, if I could have gnt it printed. Any scurrile pamphlet is welcome to our mercenary stationers in English; they print all, -ciiduntqiie lihellos In quorum foliis vix siinia nuda cacaret; But in Latin they will not deal; which is one of the reasons ^' Nicholas Car, in his oration of the paucity of English writers, gives, that so many flourishing wits are smothered in oblivion, lie dead and buried in this our nation. Another main fault is, that I have not revised the copy, and amended the style, which now flows remissly, as it was first conceived; but my leisure Avould not pcnuit; Feci nee quod potui, nee quod volui, I confess it is neither as I would, nor as it should be. *'Cum relego scripsisse pudet, quia pluritna cerno I When I peruse tbis tract which 1 have writ, Me quoque quK fucrant judice digna liiii. | 1 am abasli'd, and much I hold unlit. Et quod gravissimum, in the matter itself, many things I disallow at this present, which when I writ, '■'JYon eadem est a^tas, non mens; I would willingly retract much, &c., but 'tis too late, I can only crave pardon now for what is amiss. I might indeed, (had I wisely done) observed that precept of the poet, • nonum- que prcmaiur in annum, and have taken more care : or, as Alexander the physician would have done by lapis lazuli, fifty times washed before it be used, I should have revised, corrected and amended this tract; but I had not (as I said) that happy leisure, no amanuenses or assistants. Pancrates in ^'Lucian, wanting a servant as he went from Memphis to Coptus in Egypt, took a door bar, and after some superstitious '* Minuit piiBsentia famam. lo Lipsius .ludic. de i turpe frigide laudari ac insectanter vitiiperari. Pha- Seneca. -uLib. 10. Plurimum studii, niuliam i vorinns A. Gel.'lib. 19, cap. 2. ->i Ovid, irist. 11 rerum cognitionem, oinnem studiorum nialeriam, &c. ! eleg. 6. -'Juven. sat. 5. ^sAut artis inscii iriulla in eo probanda, mnlta admiranda. 2' Suet, aul qurestni maeis quam lileris student, hah. Cantab. Arena sine calce. ■-■' Introduct. ad Sen. 3 ju. gt Lond. Excus. 1976. '^'JOvid. de pont. Eleg. 1.6 file, (le Sen. Vix aliqiiis lam absolutus, nt iilteri per •Hor. ^'Tom.S. rhilopseud. nrcept>) pessJio omnia Fiilisfacial, nisi longa lemporis pnrscrlptio, so- qnum carmen quoddam dixisset, efieci; ui aH.I-uliirel nioui jndicandi libortale, religione quadani animos aquam liaurirtt, urnam pararet, &.c. iictuparil. -'Jlor. Ep. I, lib. 19. -'JSnue